[My Gang] Ben Ottewell - Lightbulbs : Reco of the Week 15 Feb 11

Wtorek 15 Lut 2011, 13:17

Track: Lightbulbs [ Soundcloud | Hypem ]
Artist: Ben Ottewell
Album: Shapes And Shadows
(Eat Sleep Records, 7 Feb 11) [ We7 | Spotify | mflow ]
Tags: folk rock, acoustic, americana, my gang rotw
Video: Click the pic…

http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/a-lzRNnzVy4/default.jpg YouTube, audio upload

My recommendation this week isn't as obscure as it looks. Ben Ottewell is one of the vocalists with Gomez, he's the gravel-voiced one. The band are still together, this is his solo debut, five years in the making. The track I have chosen is the lead single, Lightbulbs.

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/58377033/Ben+Ottewell+ben_ottewell.jpg

Again, I have chosen an album that will take time to get to know. On first listen it sounds warm, though minimal and sparse, his familiar voice standing out over everything and no song standing out over another. After a while, things start to take shape. Certain instruments come to the fore, as do certain melodies, you recognise Pachelbel's Canon in Chose, Chicago becomes the hardest track, and the album fills out. The acoustic arrangements were co-written with Sam Genders, formerly of Tunng and the album was co-produced with Will Golden.

http://www.bangonpr.com/images/ul/gallery_1786_large.jpg

It's a long way from the sound of Gomez, though they're still there, echoing in the background. It owes much to alternative folk of recent years, artists such as Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens. There is the inevitable comparison to Nick Drake and a fair comparison to Ryan Adams and David Gray. Damien Rice could quite reasonably be added to the list.

'Lightbulbs' begins slowly, as if the instruments are still being warmed up. It takes its time to peak and plateaus somewhere mellow but jolly when it does. Nothing groundbreaking here. The tone is calm, mature and sedate. There's no rush. Plenty of time.

The next track, All Brand New, is subtle and gorgeous, burning with a restrained passion for a new love, politely requesting permission to stay a while. Beautiful instrumentation, harmonies and pace. This is followed by the bouncy Blackbird, available right now as a free download on the official site.

The five years of effort shows. The standard is maintained throughout and editing is well-judged. Lyrics are poetic, painting little vignettes when they're not being abstract. There is a small concession to flourishes, which leap out from the stark minimalism and shimmer. It doesn't so much smack you over the head as beckon you in.

Fans of Gomez will be familiar with this gravelly-voiced old friend and it shouldn't be too much of a leap to go from their madcap antics to the maturity and sophistication of Shapes And Shadows. This is the second solo work from the band. The first was by Ian Ball, who released his album, Who Goes There, in 2007.

Put this on when you want the world to stop.

Babs_05

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[My Gang] Ben Ottewell - Lightbulbs : Reco of the Week 15 Feb 11

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